New Way to Win a Bike Race: Celebrate Early, Crash, Slide Across Line

There’s a new way to win a bike race: crash across the finish line.

Liam Slock of Lotto Intermarché just showed everyone how.

The 25-year-old Belgian rider claimed the first professional win Sunday at Switzerland’s GP Gippingen in the wackiest way imaginable.

It’s one thing to celebrate too early and lose a race.

It’s quite another to celebrate too early, crash, and still win.

Slock looked safely on his way to victory after attacking Aleksandr Vlasov and Richard Carapaz with 200 meters to go in the one-day Swiss race.

With the finish line in sight, Slock sat up and began celebrating what appeared to be an overdue win after years of near misses and top 10s.

Apparently, he was a little out of practice.

With both arms raised, Slock glanced back, lost balance and crossed his front wheel, and then slammed into the pavement.

“The victory counted, otherwise this would have been the crash of the year,” Slock said. “I realized I was going to win and started celebrating because I really wanted to enjoy the moment. I raised my arms in the air and then a gust of wind caught my handlebars.”

His momentum carried him and his bike across the finish line. For a few awkward moments, it was unclear whether the victory would stand.

It did.

Under UCI regulations, riders may cross the finish line on foot, assuming they’re carrying, dragging, or hoisting their bicycle with them.

Slock crossed the line with his bike, just not in the traditional riding position.

Lotto Intermarché had a bit of fun with the incident as well. It posted on X a post of Slock sliding across the finish line with the tagline, “Photo finish.”

Celebrating too early and losing a race is embarrassing.

Celebrating too early, crashing, and still winning?

That’s a story that will probably earn him free beers in Belgium long after his racing days are over.